Beware Geeks Bearing Gifts
by Erica T
Summary: A plot bunny. Inspired by an unusual circumstance. The short version: Charlie brings Don a present.


A first attempt at Numb3rs fanfic. Written as requested for a friend. Lili, this is all your fault.

A Brief explanation: This came about, oddly enough when my friend misread the title of a Torchwood episode as 'Geeks Bearing Gifts' instead of 'Greeks Bearing Gifts'. And since we're also big Numb3rs geeks too, it just seemed to fit.

This was supposed to be just plain funny, but the plotbunny that was spawned turned out to be more the sweet and cute kind of funny.

Imagine this as taking place sometime in their possibly forseeable future. At least the future that we fluff lovers would like to see.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I don't have any money. In fact, I think I might have negative money. So suing me gets you nothing.

Beware Geeks Bearing Gifts

It had to be approaching midnight. Don had been down for the count for several hours, practically since returning from the hospital. Most sane people with normal jobs to go to in the morning were sleeping away snug in their beds. So were those who had had long and trying days and didn't really want to be woken up by someone pounding on the door.

However, whoever was on the other side of his door obviously didn't agree with his sentiments. So, Don was stumbling in the dark to pull back the locks on his door and blearily peer around it at the offending person.

"Charlie?" He asked, blinking the sleep from his eyes. "Are you okay? What's going on?"

"Nothing, everything's fine. I just wanted to bring you this."

His brother pushed a neatly wrapped package into his hands. It was square, thick, and fairly weighty. Don stared at it, mystified.

"What? What is it?"

"It's a present. I saw it in the airport bookstore in Boston, and thought of you."

Belatedly, Don remembered that Charlie had been away for the last week giving a series of seminars at Harvard. He must have come straight from the airport.

"Charlie, did you just get back? Have you been home yet?"

"No, not yet, Amita's waiting for me in the car. Look, just enjoy that okay? And let me know how it all turns out. I'll see you."

And with that, he was gone. Out the door and down the hall before Don could say anything further. He looked between his brother's hastily retreating back and the package in his hands. Curiosity gnawed at him as he picked absently at the tape. He swung the door closed, and locked it again. He debated going back to bed and opening the thing right away. Eventually, the curiosity won out.

Robin came fully awake to the feeling of the mattress beside her sinking under Don's weight and the touch of his hand ghosting over her shoulder. She'd heard the hammering on the door, but had dozed off again when she heard Charlie's voice out in the hallway.

"What'd Charlie want?" She mumbled sleepily.

"To give me this."

He put something in front of her face, and she opened her eyes to see what it was. It was a book, that much she could tell. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes and from the light coming in from outside on the street , she could just make out the title.

'Juggling Justice and Family: The Parenting Guide for Law Enforcement.'

She blinked again to make sure that she'd it right. When she was sure, she rolled over in order to look at him face to face, only to find him grinning at her.

"There anything you'd like to share?" He asked cheekily, his eyes glinting mirth in the moonlight.

She smacked him with a pillow.

"Jackass. I only found out today. I was going to tell you, but with you getting yourself shot at the scene today, we were too tired when we got back from the hospital to have that conversation. I was going to tell you tomorrow, or you would have figured it out when you found me in the morning with my head in your toilet."

If possible, his grin widened.

"So, it's for real? Charlie's not just yanking my chain?"

Robin smiled back at him.

"It's for real." She said. He snuggled down beside her under the covers and maneuvered her face for a gentle kiss.

"That's good news." He said when they pulled apart.

"Is it?" She couldn't help but ask. A ghost of a frown crossed his face, but he smiled at her again before it solidified.

"Of course it is. Now my dad can't complain about the lack of grandchildren." He teased good naturedly. She whacked his chest with the palm of her hand and made to pull away but he gathered her closer and held her there.

"Seriously. It's good news." He said quietly and she smiled and pressed a kiss to his neck.

"I'm glad. I just wish I knew how Charlie figured it out."

"Oh, he left a note in here about that. Says he noticed something off about your eating habits, so he calculated some kind of expression that produced the most probably solution."

Robin laughed.

"Your brother is such a geek."


End file.
